


Patchwork

by chaotically_cas



Category: The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: M/M, tw blood, tw cursing, tw depiction of injury, tw fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:36:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28829025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaotically_cas/pseuds/chaotically_cas
Summary: Pony gets jumped, and Steve is left to clean him up
Relationships: Ponyboy Curtis/Steve Randle
Kudos: 18





	Patchwork

**Author's Note:**

> This is aged up (it says so) so shh

Pony lifted himself off of the hard pavement, grunting in pain.  
He had just gotten jumped by what he guessed to be around five socs. And his face hurt like a bitch.  
He knew for sure he had a black eye, maybe two, and a busted eyebrow. Not to mention his ribs and hip hurt like hell.  
He moaned in pain, clutching his side as he dragged himself to his house about a block orso away.  
He tumbled up the stairs and through the front door with a cough.  
“Jesus” a voice said from the couch “Pony? You ok?”  
Pony looked over to see no one but Steve Randle sitting on the couch, he guessed he had woken him up.  
“Sorry for waking ya” Pony mumbled, trying to stand up but Steve caught his arm.  
“What the hell happened?” Steve demanded, helping Pony stand up straight and began to carry him towards the bathroom.  
“Damn soc’s” Pony winced as Steve sat him down on the edge of the bathtub “where’s everyone?”  
“Dar and Soda are at work. The rest are at Two’s. What you doing walking alone? It’s like ya have a death wish or something” Steve snarled, opening up the medicine cabinet.  
“Why do you even care. Don’t ya hate me?” Pony said rolling his eyes despite the physical pain it brought him.  
“Don’t mean I want you to get your damn face beat in. Jeez” Steve chuckled.  
“Sure do act like it” Pony retorted.  
“Do not” Steve defended himself, pulling out a cotton swab and stuff to clean Pony’s face with.  
“Do to. Ever since I was a kid. I ain’t fourteen no more” Ponyboy whispered.  
It was true. He wasn’t. But no one in the gang seemed to see that. Especially Steve. The kid was eighteen after all.  
“Do not. Now shut up” Steve chuckled, walking back over to where Pony was sitting on the edge of the tub.  
“Do to.”  
Pony hissed in pain as Steve wet the cotton ball and pressed it to his face.  
“Shut up kid, will ya?” Steve asked, whipping the drying blood off of Pony’s forehead and cheeks.  
“This cuts pretty deep” Steve observed.  
“I can’t go to the hospital no more, Dar will kill me.”  
“Ain’t that deep. I’ll fix ya up real good” Steve smiled sarcastically, giving Pony a Pat on the back.  
“You asshole” Ponyboy snickered.  
Steve stood up and walked. Back to the medicine cabinet, pulling out a bandaid for Pony’s cut brow. He walked back over to Pony and knelt down, looking real concentrated as he focused on putting the bandaid on the right spot, as to not hurt the boy any further.  
Pony’s breath caught in his throat as Steve’s rough fingers pressed the bandaid against his eye.  
“Ouch” he hissed, squinting his eyes shut.  
“Sorry” Steve apologized thoughtlessly. He was focused on making sure that he wasn’t hurting Pony.  
Pony felt his eyes meet Steve’s. Steve could have sworn he heard the kid gulp. His eyes darted around Steve’s, Steve was close enough where Pony could take on his every feature, and Steve his.  
Steve smelled of gasoline and cigarettes, but there was something warm about him. A softness Pony hasn’t taken the time to notice before.  
“Better?” Steve cleared his throat backing away.  
Pony felt the tingly sensation in his stomach slowly fade.  
“Much. Thanks Steve” Pony blushed softly.  
“Don’t mention it” Steve shrugged “change those bloody clothes will ya? I’ll get you something to eat.”  
And with that Steve walked out to the kitchen, leaving Pony to his thoughts.  
He stood up carefully, although it still hurt he felt much better than he did the minutes ago.  
He walked to his room and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, loose fitting so it wouldn’t tug to tight on his bruised skin.  
He looked in the cracked dusty mirror. He looked like shit he thought.  
His hair was now red with blood instead of his normal auburn tint. His eyes looked like a damn panda bear. But he looked tuff. Awful, but tuff.  
He walked back to the bathroom and turned on the sink. He stuck his hair under and began to wash the blood out, watching the pink water flow down the drain.  
He turned the water off and stood up, wiping his head off with a small washcloth by the sink and walked out to join Steve in the kitchen.  
“Hey” Pony greeted.  
“Heya” Steve responded, turning to look at Ponyboy.  
And for the first time in his life he saw Pony as what he was. Not a kid.  
His hair was still wet and stuck to his forehead on clumps, obscuring the bandaid on his eyebrow. His eyes looked like shit but they still sparked in the dim luminescence of the kitchen.  
“I know I look bad you ain’t gotta stare” Pony chuckled, sitting down at the table.  
“Not too bad” Steve managed to stutter out.  
“Whatcha making?” Pony asked.  
“Grilled cheese.”  
Pony just nodded. He played with his thumbs, looking down at the wooden table. His mind still stuck on the incident from earlier.  
Pony listened to the scraping of the pan as Steve the two of them food in silence.  
After a few minutes Steve spoke up “dinner is served” he smiled, joining Pony at the table and planning a plate in front of the both of them.  
“Thanks Steve. For everything” Pony smiled. And he meant it. The dynamic between the two of them had most definitely shifted, for the better.  
“Don’t mention it” Steve grinned with a shrug, taking a bite out of his grilled cheese.  
“I mean it though.”  
“Shit kid don’t get all sappy on me” Steve laughed, with a bit of nervousness behind it.  
“Whatever” Pony said, rolling his sore eyes.  
They sat in silence. Steve eating, Pony just picking at his sandwich.  
“You gonna eat that or not?” Steve snorted, taking his plate to the sink.  
Pony didn’t respond, he just kept poking at it.  
“Huh?” Steve questioned again.  
“Steve?” Pony said taking a deep breath, forcing himself to look up at the older boy that stood leaning against the counter “can I kiss you?”  
Steve’s jaw dropped in shock.  
Pony stood up slowly and began to walk towards Steve, his mouth felt dry as ever.  
“Yeah” Steve said, almost at a whisper, closing the gap between the two.  
Steve put his hands on Pony’s chin, being as carefully as he could, as Pony’s hands found their way to Steve’s chest.  
“Well are you gonna kiss me or not?” Pony giggled with a blush.  
“Shut up” Steve chuckled, leaning in gently to kiss the boy.  
Pony jerked back in pain, but then gingerly melted into the long awaited kiss. It was a passion neither of them has felt before.  
They pulled away but not after Steve gave Pony a small light kiss on the nose, making him blush like a mad man.  
“Well you certainly don’t hate me anymore” Pony laughed.  
“I never did” Steve smiled, leaning in again.


End file.
